Ball-tossing device



July 30, 1968 m 3,394,691

BALL-TOSS ING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 27, 1965 "mum! INVENTOR 110m A. BAl/YA ATTORNEY July 30, 1968 I L. A. BRINK BALL-TOSSING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 27, 1965 INVENTOR.

A. Efi/IYA ZZOYD 14 TOIPNEY July 30, 1968 A. BRINK BALL-TOSSING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 27, 1965 INVENTOR. ZZOYD A. Bkl/YK ATTORNEY July 30, 1968 A. BRINK BALL-TOSSING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 27, 1965 IIIIII it Illilflflilf IIIIIIIIIIIII! INVENTOR. ZLOYD A. BR/NK ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,394,691 BALL-TOSSING DEVICE Lloyd A. Brink, Goldendale, Wash., assignor to Tru-Step, Inc., Goldendale, Wash., a corporation of Washington Filed Dec. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 516,607 9 Claims. (Cl. 1247) This invention relates to a ball-tossing device and particularly to such a device which can be used to toss a ball for baseball batting practice.

A principal object of the ball-tossing device of this invention is to toss a ball for batting practice at the will of the batter and in a direction which simulates movement of the ball toward the batter from the location of the picthers box.

Another object is to provide such a device which can be altered easily for use and manipulation by either a left-hand batter or a right-hand batter.

In particular, it is an object to provide a ball-tossing device which is economical to manufacture, yet which is effective in operation. The construction of such a device can be very simple so as to minimize maintenance.

The foregoing objects can be accomplished by a balltossing device having a spring loop to effect tossing of the ball, and which loop is under the control of latching mechanism reciprocable between loop-retaining and loopreleased positions by batter-controlled latch-reciprocating mechanism. Such mechanism may include either a fluidpressure operated piston or a Bowden wire to effect movement of the latching mechanism in one direction and a return spring to shift the latching mechanism in the opposite direction. Control of the mechanism is effected by the batter stepping on a foot pressure element which can be either a bulb to control fluid-pressure latch-reciprocating mechanism or a treadle lever to actuate Bowden-wire latch-reciprocating mechanism.

FIGURE 1 is a top perspective of one form of balltossing device utilizing fluid-pressure latch-reciprocating mechanism, and FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan of such mechanism with parts broken away.

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal section through a portion of the ball-tossing device of FIGURES 1 and 2 on an enlarged scale taken on line 33 of FIGURE 2, and FIGURE 4 is a similar view showing parts in different positions. FIGURE 5 is a vertical transverse section through the device taken on line 55 of FIGURE 4; FIGURE 6 is a detail elevation of a portion of the device with parts in still a different position.

FIGURE 7 is a top perspective of a modified form of the ball-tossing device utilizing Bowden wire latch-reciprocating mechanism, FIGURE 8 is a plan and FIGURE 9 is a side elevation of a foot-pressure component of the device.

FIGURE 10 is a longitudinal section through a portion of the ball-tossing device of FIGURE 7, showing parts in one position, and FIGURE 11 is a similar view with parts in a different position. FIGURE 12 is a plan of the balltossing mechanism of the device, with parts broken away.

FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through a portion of a device having somewhat modified mechanism.

The drawings illustrate two principal types of balltossing device, one of which would be used by young children such as 4 to 6 years old, and the other would be used for training batters 7 years of age or older. The first type of device would toss a light plastic ball, which could be hit with a small plastic bat, and the other device could be designed or adjusted to toss a regulation baseball, a Little League ball or a soft ball. These two devices in general, however, employ structures operating on the same general principle.

The ball-tossing device shown in FIGURES 1 to 6, inclusive, is intended primarily to toss a light plastic ball. On the base 1 is mounted the ball-tossing wire loop 2, the legs of which are inserted into or embedded in sockets 3. While the legs of the loop could be secured adjustably in such sockets, adjustment is not necessary because the loop will always toss a ball B of uniform size and weight such as the ball B shown in FIGURE 4. While the wire of the loop 2 has some resilient characteristics, the principal resilience of the spring loop is produced by the helical coil 4 connecting the upright portion and the generally horizontal portion of each leg of the loop. The bend of the loop will have a radius smaller than the diameter of the ball B so that the ball can rest on opposite side portions of the loop in preparation for tossing the ball.

In general, a ball is tossed by the ball-tossing device by providing latch means to hold the bend of the spring wire loop 2 in a depressed position, but which position will enable the ball to be supported in the loop. The latch means can be disengaged from the ball-supporting loop quite quickly so that the stress stored in the deflected loop member will be released to effect upward ball-tossing movement of the bent ball-carrying end of the loop. Such latch means are shown as including a hook 5 with which the bend of the loop can be engaged and a keeper 6 cooperating with the hook to close the entrance to it and to effect escape of the loop bend from the hook for executing a ball-tossing operation.

Programing of the release of the ball-tossing loop 2 from cocked position to ball-tossing position is effected by relative reciprocation of the base 1 and the latch means including hook 5 and keeper 6. Such relative reciprocation can be accomplished by mounting the hook 5 and keeper 6 on a slide 7 slidably received in a slot 7 of the base 1. Such slide carries a rod 8 having portions projecting from its opposite ends, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. One of these rod ends is slidably received in an aperture of a support 9 so as to guide such reciprocation of the slide 7.

On the end of rod 8 remote from support 9 are latchreciprocating means composed of a plunger 10 carried by rod 8 and received in the cylinder 11. A helical compression spring 12 is mounted on the opposite end portion of rod 8 between the slide 7 and the support 9, which urges the slide in the direction to insert the piston 10 into the cylinder 11. Fluid under pressure can be supplied to the cylinder through the fluid supply tube 13 to force the piston 10 to the left from the position shown in FIG- URE 3 into the position shown in FIGURE 4, in opposition to the force exerted on this slide by the compression spring 12.

The fluid under pressure is supplied to the connection 13 through a tube 14 extending beneath the base 1 and beyond it to a pressure bulb 15. This bulb can be located at either side of the base 1, as may be desired, by passing the tube 14 through a notch 16R or 16L in the flange of the base, depending upon whether the ball-tossing device is to be used by a left-handed batter or a right-handed batter. The volume of the bulb 15 will be suflicient so that its capacity transferred to cylinder 11 will effect shifting of slide 7 to a distance relative to base 1 adequate to effect ball-tossing control over the ball-tossing loop 2.

The pressure fluid used in the cylinder 11, tube 14 and bulb 15 can be either air or liquid. Air has the advantage of acting more quickly than liquid and liquid has the advantage of operating more positively than air. In either instance, however, the pressure required to reciprocate slide 7 is produced in the cylinder 11 by the batter stepping on and off the bulb 15. In using the ball-tossing device, therefore, the bulb will be located in a posi- 3 tion such that the batter can tread on the bulb with his forward foot when the base 1 is in the proper position to toss the ball B to the batter for batting practice.

In operation, without any pressure being exerted on the bulb 15, the spring 12 will press the slide 7 and its latch mechanism fully to the right into the position shown in FIGURE 3. When the latch mechanism is in this position the ball-tossing loop 2 can be swung from the fullline position shown in that figure to the broken-line position in which the bend of the loop has been pressed against the tip of the keeper 6 and it has been swung downward until the bend of the loop has passed the tip of the hook and the tip of the keeper, and the keeper tip has sprung back by reason of the keeper resilience, into the full-line position of FIGURE 3. The latch mechanism will then be in its cocked position so that a ball B can be placed on the loop in the position indicated in broken lines.

When the batter is ready to practice a batting operation the batter will tread upon the bulb 15 with his forward foot in batting stance. The pressure thus exerted on the bulb will drive fluid under pressure through the tube 14 and connection 13 into the cylinder 11 so as to move the piston and rod 8 to the left into the position of FIGURE 4 in which the slide 7 has compressed the compression spring 12 between the left end of such slide and the support 9. Such movement of the slide 7 has moved the tip of the keeper 6 to the left beyond the bend of the loop 2, and such loop is retained in its depressed position by being engaged beneath hook 5. The latch mechanism can be held in this position as long as the batter continues to exert sufiicient pressure with his foot on bulb 15.

When the batter is ready to execute a batting practice stroke with respect to a tossed ball, he need merely lunge forward. As the leading foot of the batter thus steps forward the pressure will be removed from the bulb so that the compression spring 12 will again force slide 7 from the position of FIGURE 4 to the position of FIG- URE 3. By such movement, as illustrated in FIGURE 6, the tip of the keeper 6 will be engaged with the bend of the loop 2 bearing upward beneath the hook 5 so that the loop bend will wedge the keeper tip downward, enabling the bend to pass between the keeper and the hook as the slide completes its return movement fully to the right to position of FIGURE 3. By the time the slide has reached this position the tip of the hook 5 will have passed beyond the bend of the ball-tossing loop so that it will no longer be retained by the hook. The ball-tossing loop will therefore be snapped upward from the position of FIGURE 6 to the full-line position of FIGURE 3 by the force of the springs 4 to toss the ball upward into position to be struck by the batter.

In the ball-tossing device of FIGURES 7 to 12 the ball-tossing loop 2 is of the same general type as that of FIGURES 1 to 6, except that the bend of the loop is shown as having in it a dip 2' engageable with the latch mechanism. The supporting ends of the ball-tossing loop are inserted into sockets 3', which are threaded and have nuts engaging them for the purpose of being tightened to bind in the sockets the opposite ends of such loop. Between the loop ends and the bend of the loop the legs of the loop have in them a spring coil to increase their resiliency for tossing a ball, as explained in connection with the device of FIGURES 1 to 5, inclusive. In this instance the extent of penetration of the loop ends into the sockets 3' can be adjusted for altering the stress in the loop when it is in cocked position indicated in broken lines in FIG- URE 10. The farther the ends of the loop are inserted into the sockets 3 the less will be stress in the loop when it is cocked and consequently, the smaller will be the balltossing force exerted on the ball when the latch mechanism is operated to release the loop. The farther the loop legs project from the socket, the greater will be the angle through which the loop must be pressed into cocked position and, consequently, the greater will be the stress in the loop.

The latch mechanism of the ball-tossing device shown in FIGURES 7 to 12, for the ball-tossing loop 2, is of generally the same type as that of the ball-tossing device shown in FIGURES 1 to 6, inclusive, including a hook 5 and a keeper cooperating with such hook. In this instance, however, the opening of the hook 5 faces the supporting legs of the ball-tossing loop, whereas in the device of FIGURES 1 to 6 the opening of the hook 5 faces away from the supporting legs of the ball-tossing loop. In the device of FIGURES 7 to 12 the latch mechanism is carried by the slide 7 which is located beneath the surface of the base 1, and the book 5 extends upward from the slide through a slot in the base.

In the latch mechanism of FIGURES 7 to 12 a keeper of different configuration cooperates with the hook 5. In this instance the keeper is a resilient strip, preferably of metal, which includes a bent tip portion 16 engageable with the tip of the hook 5' at one end and an opposite end 17 anchored by screws to the slide 7", as shown in FIGURES 10 and 11. Between the hook-engaging tip and its anchored end 17 the strip includes an intermediate arched portion 18 adjacent to the anchored end and a reverse bend port-ion 19. As indicated by the broken lines in FIGURE 10, such configuration of the keeper strip, including the arched portion 18 and the reversely bent portion 19, enables the effective length of such strip to be shortened so that when the dip 2 of the ball-tossing loop 2 is pressed downward into the broken-line position shown in FIGURE 10, such loop dip can pass the tip portion 16' of the strip as it is swung downward and laterally by the pressure of the dip 2 on it.

With the slide 7" in its position farthest to the left, as shown in FIGURE 10, the ball-tossing loop 2 can therefore be secured in its cocked position simply by pressing the ball-tossing loop downward to contract the keeper strip until its tip 16 escapes past the dip 2 of the ball-tossing loop so that it will snap upward again to engage such keeper tip with the tip of the hook 5'. When the downward pressure on the ball-tossing loop is released it will then be urged upward into engagement with the underside of the keeper strip tip as long as the slide 7" remains in its position of FIGURE 10. The slide normally will be maintained in such position by the tension spring 12' connected between an anchor loop 9' on the left end of the base 1, as shown in FIGURES 10 and 12, and a lug on the left end of the slide 7". A ball to be tossed can then be placed on the lower end of the loop immediately above the reversely bent portion 19 of the keeper strip.

To release the ball-tossing loop 2 from its cocked position for tossing a ball into a position to be hit by a batter, the slide 7" carrying the loop-latching mechanism is slid to the right from the position of FIGURE 10 to that of FIGURE 11 in opposition to the force exerted by spring 12. Such movement of the slide is effected by exerting a pulling force on the Bowden wire 20, which is connected to the lug 21 on the right end of the slide 7". This Bowden wire extends through a flexible tube 22 to a portable foot-controlled actuator which can be located in any desired position adjacent to the base 1' convenient for operation by the foot of the batter. Such Bowden wire and its flexible tube extends generally lengthwise of the base, as indicated in broken lines in FIGURE 7, and can extend to either side of the base through the appropriate notch 16L or 16R in the base edge. For a right-handed batter the wire and casing will extend through the notch 16R and for a left-handed batter the wire and easing tube will extend through the notch 16L.

The actuator for the Bowden wire includes a bell crank lever having an upright leg 23, to the upper portion of which the Bowden wire is connected, and a generally horizontal treadle portion 24 on which the batters foot can be placed. Pressure of the batters foot on the treadle portion 24 will swing it from the brokenline position of FIGURE 9 to the solid-line position, which will cause corresponding swinging of the upright portion 23 to pull the wire 20, which will shift the slide 7" from the position of FIGURE to that of FIGURE 11. When the pressure on the treadle is released the spring 12' will draw the slide back to the left from the position of FIGURE 11 to that of FIGURE 10.

When the ball-tossing loop 2 has been moved from the solid-line position of FIGURE 10 into the broken-line position and the dip 2' has been moved past the tip of the hook 5 and the tip portion 16 of the keeper strip, and this tip portion has returned to the solid-line position of FIGURE 10, the ball-carrying loop will be urged up against the underside of the keeper tip by the action of springs 4. When the slide 7 is shifted to the right from the position of FIGURE 10 to that of FIGURE 11 the hook 5 is projected into the dip 2' so that such d ip rides off the tip portion 16 of the keeper. As the batter removes his foot from the treadle 24 in lunging toward the ball, the spring 12 will pull the slide 7" back to the right. There is sufl'icient gap between the bottom of hook 5' and the tip of the keeper so that such keeper tip will pass below the dip 2 as the slide moves back to the left. As soon as the tip of hook 5 has passed beyond the dip, therefore, the ball-tossing loop will be freed to snap upward and toss the ball.

In FIGURE 13 an alternative type of keeper for the hook 5 is shown mounted on the slide 7". In this instance, the tip 16' is bent generally similar to the hook 16, but the anchored end 17 of the strip is secured to the slide adjacent to the base of the hook 5' instead of being located remote from the hook. The portion of the keeper strip between the tip portion 16' and the anchored portion 17' is curved generally in continuation of the curvature of the tip portion 16 so that the keeper constitutes the major arc of a circle. When pressure is applied to the tip portion of such a keeper it will yield as the loop of the keeper contracts into the broken-line position of FIGURE 13.

When the ball-tossing loop 'is depressed from the solidline position of FIGURE 10 to the broken-line position of that figure, therefore, the dip 2' will press against the tip of the keeper and deflect it until the dip has passed the keeper tip. The keeper tip will then snap back into engagement with the tip of the hook 5' so that the ball-tossing loop 2 will be held in cocked position. As the slide 7" is pulled to the right from the position of FIGURE 13 into the position of FIGURE 11, the dip 2' will slide under the projecting end of hook 5' as the treadle 24 is depressed by the batters foot. When the batter steps off the trea'dle 24 the spring 12' will return the slide 7" to the left into the position of FIGURE 13. During such movement of the slide the projecting end of the hook 5' will be withdrawn from the dip 2 and the tip 16' of the keeper will slide under such dip so that it will be freed as soon as the tip of the hook 5' passes beyond the dip. The ball-tossing loop 2 will thus be released to toss the ball.

I claim:

1. A ball-tossing device comprising, a swingable balltossing arm, releaseable latch means for said ball-tossing arm including a slide reciprocable relative to said balltossing arm, a retainer member carried by said slide and keeper means carried by said slide and cooperating with said retainer member, said retainer member and said keeper means being separable for movement of a portion of said hall-tossing arm therebetween into said latch means to place and hold said ball-tossing arm in a cocked position and said retainer member and said keeper means being separable thereafter by movement of said slide relative to said ball-tossing arm first in one direction and then in the opposite direction for movement of such portion of said ball-tossing arm therebetween out of said latch means to release said ball-tossing arm from cocked position, and means. for effecting such reciprocation of said slide relative to said ball-tossing arm.

2. The ball-tossing device defined in claim 1, in which the ball-tossing arm is a generally U-shaped wire loop, the bend of which is engageable with the keeper means and retainer member.

3. The ball-tossing device defined in claim 1, in which the retainer member is a hook fixed relative to the slide.

4. The ball-tossing device defined in claim 3, in which the keeper means is a curved resilient strip having one end anchored to the slide and its opposite end disposed adjacent to the tip of the hook and movable resiliently relative to the hook tip.

5. The ball-tossing device defined in claim 3, in which the keeper means is resiliently movable relative to the hook.

6. The ball-tossing device defined in claim 1, wherein said means for eltecting reciprocation of said slide comprises batter-operated means connected to the slide for moving it in said one direction, and spring means connecfed to the slide for moving it in said opposite direction.

7. The ball-tossing device defined in claim 6, in which the batter-operated means to move the slide are fluidpressure means.

8. The ball-tossing device defined in claim 6, in which the batter-operated means to move the slide are Bowden wire means.

9. The ball-tossing device defined in claim 6, in which the batter-operated means includes foot-operated means depressible by the foot of a batter, and elongated flexible means connecting said foot-operated means and the slide and movable into various positions relative to the balltossing arm, said elongated connecting member being operable to transmit the movement of the foot-operated means to the slide for effecting ball-tossing movement of the ball-tossing arm.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 232,347 9/1880 Hamilton 124-7 1,416,918 5/1922 Weeden. 1,481,605 1/1924 Hayes 124-7 1,912,360 6/1933 Blanchard 124-36 2,082,818 6/1937 Atwell 124-7 X 2,834,331 5/1958 Cowie 124-36 X 2,869,533 1/1959 Cohn 124-34 X ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner. M. R. PAGE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BALL-TOSSING DEVICE COMPRISING, A SWINGABLE BALLTOSSING ARM, RELEASEABLE LATCH MEANS FOR SAID BALL TOSSING ARM INCLUDING A SLIDE RECIPROCALBE RELATIVE TO SAID BALLTOSSING ARM, A RETAINER MEMBER CARRIED BY SAID SLIDE AND KEEPER MEANS CARRIED BY SAID SLIDE AND COOPERATING WITH SAID RETAINER MEMBER, SAID RETAINER MEMBER AND SAID KEEPER MEANS BEING SEPARABLE FOR MOVEMENT OF A PORTION OF SAID BALL-TOSSING ARM THEREBETWEEN INTO SAID LATCH MEANS TO PLACE AND HOLD SAID BALL-TOSSING ARM IN A COCKED POSITION AND SAID RETAINER MEMBER ANS SAID KEEPER MEANS BEING SEPARABLE THEREAFTER BY MOVEMENT OF SAID SLIDE RELATIVE TO SAID BALL-TOSSING ARM FIRST IN ONE DIRECTION AND THEN IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION FOR MOVEMENT OF SUCH PORTION OF SAID BALL-TOSSING ARM FIRST IN ONE DIRECTION AND LATCH MEANS TO RELEASE SAID BALL-TOSSING ARM FROM COCKED POSITION, AND MEANS FOR EFFECTING SUCH RECIPROCATION OF SAID SLIDE RELATIVE TO SAID BALL-TOSSING ARM. 